The begining of the end
by Rebuky
Summary: Draco's cover has been blown, and he flees to Hogwarts. But how can one live in a place where he isn't trusted? and will old love bloom again? D/G


This is a story in itself. It is kinda connected to 'Why is love never easy' but not really. Enjoy ;O)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, it's as easy as that ;O)  
  
Looking back, Draco didn't really know what had started it all, if it was Ginny and her belief in good, or if it was him finally growing up. Ginny, and her belief in good, made him grow up, made him think over his morals, and had helped him choose. She didn't know that, of course. After their break up they had practically ignored each other and gotten on with their lives, him being the usual annoying git, her being the goody-goody Gryffindor. Now, to anyone but him and Dumbledore, he was Draco Malfoy, hated death eater.  
  
But there was one time, one time that he had talked to her, more then just the usual insults, the day he graduated. His father had come and insisted that he take Draco with him even though they were supposed to stay at school two more days.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
Draco was standing by the lake, just like that day over a year ago, when Ginny had confronted him. His father was talking to Dumbledore, and he had been ordered to wait for him in the Entrance Hall. But he was a Malfoy, he never took orders from anyone, besides, he'd be back before his father was done with the talk with Dumbledore.  
  
He was looking at the opposite shore. The view was familiar; he always came here when he was about to break down, or had too many problems to think about. Now he was there to say goodbye.  
  
He felt her before he saw her. Still, after all that time, he could feel whenever she was close. She walked up to him and stopped next to him, not saying a word, just looking out over the lake.  
  
"I hear that you are leaving early" Ginny said, it was a statement not a question.  
  
He didn't say anything, just pretended she wasn't there.  
  
"Promise me Draco. Promise me to think before you act," she said, her voice begging him to listen.  
  
"I always think Ginny. But I never make any promises," he looked at her, "never" his voice was harder then he had meant it to be. But being around her always made him loose his well-preserved control. He turned around and left.  
  
She looked after him as he left and whispered: "I still love you." The wind brought her words to his ears and they bit into his soul.  
  
He entered the Entrance Hall few minutes before his father did, and who would be so considerate and turn up in his last minutes at Hogwarts? None other than 'the Dream Team'. In came Potty, the weasel and the mud-blood Hermione Granger. They were discussing something and hadn't noticed him standing against the wall. He had decided a long time ago that when he graduated he would get the last word. This was the perfect chance.  
  
"Why don't you kill me now," he said sarcastically, "The world has surely ended. Potty, Weasel and the mudblood have come to say goodbye. I am truly touched."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself Malfoy" Harry retorted, shocked about him being there.  
  
"Oh believe me Potty, I'm not, I'd rather die then even consider," he put on a fake emotional voice, "that deep, deep down, you truly care about me," he flashed them a smirk.  
  
"You know Malfoy" came Hermione's voice, "I think that is what you really want, someone to look after you and care about you. You've never had that, and that's why you're so mean all the time."  
  
Draco let out a cruel, humourless laugh, hiding very well how close that struck. "I don't know about you Granger, but I remember a certain incident with little Ginny Weasley, am I right weasel? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but she sure showed me what it felt like being cared for. I'm glad I'm never going to fell that again." He finished and gave a shudder.  
  
"You truly are evil," said Hermione, she couldn't believe that anyone could be so mean.  
  
"If you think that's evil, miss Granger, I suggest you look somewhere else," Lucius Malfoy chose that moment to walk in, "This," he gestured towards Draco, "is only a small taste to what evil is."  
  
Draco felt his fists clench, 'No matter what I do, it will never be good enough for my father.'  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at the two Malfoy's standing in front of them; they were like two drops of water, exactly alike. Oh how Draco knew, and he hated the fact. The tension between the five of them was immense. You could almost see the electricity shooting from person to person.  
  
It was Malfoy senior who broke it.  
  
"Come on Draco, we've spent enough time with muggle lovers and mudbloods to last us a lifetime." He turned and strode out the hall.  
  
Draco smirked at the three before mock saluting them and saying, "Goodbye Potter, I'll see you in hell." And he followed his father.  
  
He had seen her in the shadows ever since Hermione's conclusion, and he had been burning inside. But a promise is a promise. He wanted the last word. And when Malfoy's do make promises, they keep them to the very end.  
  
Unless they were promises to a Dark Lord from a spy.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Draco sighed. Those were the days. He had thought he'd had so many problems and worries back then, but they were nothing compared to what his problems as of now were. His cover had just been blown. After his graduation he had become a death eater. He had talked it over with Dumbledore, and they had agreed it was the best thing to do.  
  
For two years, the war had raided on, with minor attacks and far too many killings. For two years, he had leaded a double life, pretended to be a death eater, pretended to be the ultimate evil. Apparently he had done very well.  
  
At Christmas, New Years and the birthdays of her family he had sent her a white and a dark pink rose*. As hints, he had never sent one on Ron's birthday he had always hated that Weasley. Never any notes or anything else.  
  
Lord Voldemort was close to victory, the people who fought him and those who didn't join him had moved to Hogwarts. Many were dead. Empty classrooms were used now as residences of each family. If the classroom was a larger one, more family's then one lived there. The Weasleys were 'lucky' none of them had died.yet. They had all received warnings before they had been attacked, by whom no one knew.  
  
Draco had arrived last night. When his cover had been blown he had made a run for it, and had reached Hogwarts after two days of travelling on broomstick. Several curses had hit him, everything was in a blur and it just got worse and worse. By the time he reached Hogwarts he let old memory take him to Dumbledore's office.  
  
Now, he was in the infirmary. Madam Pompfrey had healed his cuts and bruises and had taken of the curses. He was trying to fall asleep, but something kept nagging him, there was something he had to do. And it hit him. It was the 4th of September and Molly Weasley's birthday was tomorrow.  
  
'I'll deal with it tomorrow.' He thought, as he drifted of. 'I can give her the rose myself this time.'  
  
The door crashed open and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley came in, carrying what seemed like an unconscious body.  
  
"Madam Pompfrey, we need your help." Potter said, getting the body to the nearest bed.  
  
"Yes, yes of course, what happened?" she asked while starting to examine whoever it was.  
  
"We were out patrolling the grounds and were attacked by a bunch of death eaters, we fought them of easily enough as we out numbered them by many, But Justin got hit and we brought him up here immediately." Answered Harry, looking anxiously at the limp form of Justin Finch-Fletchley. There was a silence interrupted only by Madam Pompfrey, as she continued to examine the boy.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Malfoy who cast the spell, only he would be stupid enough to come this close to Hogwarts." Ron muttered silently, though loudly enough that Draco heard.  
  
Ignoring Ron's accusation Harry asked, "Will Justin be alright?"  
  
"I don't know. He was hit by a curse that I have rarely seen before this war started, but the death eaters seems to be quite fond of it, it somehow takes out all of the energy of that person until he is.well.dead. The only way to keep him alive is to constantly transfer energy to him. Sadly, we don't have the men or the power to do that." She sighed, "We've been working on a cure, but nothing seems to work. We simply do not know what to do."  
  
Draco decided that this was the best place to interfere.  
  
"Its quite simple really, once you know how to work the spell, you also know how to reverse it." Draco got out from his bed and approached the four people standing there.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, you should be in bed sleeping right now, only God knows how much you need it."  
  
"Couldn't sleep." He simply replied then turned to Harry, "Potter, how much time is it since he was cursed?"  
  
Too shocked to do anything but reply, Harry muttered, "About ten minutes ago."  
  
Draco made no sign that he had heard but pulled out his wand, pointed it at Justin and muttered "debolezza"** under his breath. This seemed to wake up Harry and Ron.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Ron bellowed, his wand pointing straight at Malfoy. Colour came back to Justin's face but no one seemed to notice.  
  
"Relax Weasley, I just healed him." Draco said holding up his hands.  
  
"The hell you did, you are a death eater, I'm surprised you haven't killed us by now." Harry said scornfully.  
  
"Now Potter why would I want to that?" he said, annoyed. "First of all, I couldn't care less if you and Weasley were dead, secondly, why would I betray Dumbledore's trust by doing something so foolish as killing you? And thirdly, if I indeed was a 'loyal' death eater, then how could I be here? There are enough wards and guards in this place to kill every bloody death eater in the world. All in all I have every reason not."  
  
A groan from the bed next to them made him shut up. Madam Pompfrey immediately turned her full attention to Justin, who had just woken up.  
  
"Where am I?" he asked groggily and looked around with clouded eyes. His eyes fell on Harry, Ron, then looked at where Ron's wand was pointed and gasped loudly when he saw Malfoy.  
  
"Malfoy what are you doing here?" He asked and sat straight up in his bed. Draco sighed and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair.  
  
"Look I'm too tired for this. I'll just make a few things clear, I am not here to kill anyone, I still hate you and Weasley with the exact same amount of hate as I did when I last saw the two of you, I have been a spy for the light side ever since the end of my 6th year and right now I am bloody tired and will go to bed." Draco turned around and headed back to his bed, not caring about the fact that Weasley still had his wand pointed directly at him.  
  
"Oh right," said Madam Pompfrey, "I'll get you a sleeping potion." She turned to a cupboard on her right, took out a glass and a vial filled with some green liquid. She passed Harry and Ron, who still had his wand pointing at Draco, and gave it to him. He gave her a small smile and muttered a thank you. Harry and Ron were too shocked to do anything. Madam Pompfrey was helping Malfoy? Malfoy was saying thank you?!  
  
Draco drifted of to sleep, a small smile playing on his lips. 'Good' he thought, 'even when I'm totally exhausted I can make Potter and Weasley stutter, I still have it in me' with these thoughts he fell asleep.  
  
*A dark pink rose means Thankfulness. A white rose, innocence, purity and secrecy. The secrecy is the one I'm looking for here.  
  
** Debolezza is Italian and means weakness, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong ;O)  
  
I have nothing else to say but review, review, review, review, review, review, review, review, and review. PLEASE!! Hope you like it ;O) 


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